Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Where do I go from here?" Cormac wondered, his vision swimming in and out of focus. Struggling to remain conscious, he staggered down a narrow, empty alley.

His strength was waning, but he managed to find a hidden corner where he could collapse and stay out of sight.

Once he was safely concealed, Cormac fumbled for his potions, carefully consuming them to restore his MP and HP.

The pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him as he lay back, eventually succumbing to unconsciousness.

*****

Cormac's senses slowly began to awaken, though his hearing remained faint and distorted. The muffled sound of distant voices reached him, but he couldn't make out any coherent words.

'Crap, I got caught. I need to escape,' Cormac thought, struggling to assess his condition. His body felt unresponsive, so he activated his skill, [Jolt], sending a surge of electricity through his system.

The burst of energy helped jump-start his bodily functions, and he managed to twitch his fingers slightly.

Despite his efforts, his hearing remained impaired and everything looked blurry when he attempted to open his eyes.

'No, I shouldn't try to open my eyes just yet. I don't want them to see that I'm awake,' he reasoned. Still, a troubling thought lingered: 'But if they really were the ones chasing me, I'd be dead by now.'

The faint voices continued, their content unclear. Cormac could only make out sporadic sounds, offering no clues about his current situation.

*****

As the hours passed, Cormac's senses gradually returned. His hearing sharpened, and the blurriness began to recede from his vision.

Cautiously, he began to observe his surroundings without making any sudden movements.

He noted the dimly lit room he was in, the rough texture of the walls, and the sparse furnishings.

His initial panic subsided as he took in the details, trying to piece together how he ended up here and where his captors might be.

Cormac's focus was on gathering as much information as possible, planning his next move carefully while he regained his strength.

Cormac's eyes flickered open as he cautiously scanned the room.

His primary concern was locating his weapon and the artifact. After a quick but thorough search, he spotted his spear lying across the room. However, there was no sign of the artifact.

He caught snippets of a conversation from the nearby voices:

"Why do you think he kept holding onto this?" a male voice asked.

"Probably something special to him," another voice replied.

"This piece of junk? No way," the first voice responded with clear skepticism.

"Why my room, though?" Devin's voice interjected, but there was no answer.

'They're not part of the Crimson Hound? I still need to be careful; they might be hostile,' Cormac thought, maintaining his pretense of unconsciousness.

Suddenly, a female voice cut through the tension. "You can wake up now. Pretending to be unconscious only makes you more suspicious."

At the sound of the voice, a chill of danger shot through Cormac. Reacting instantly, he sprang up from the bed, his body moving with practiced precision.

He grabbed his spear and charged toward the source of the voices. In a swift motion, he had one of the men at spearpoint.

The man, caught off guard, was actually to be Leroy. "Hey, c'mon, I just did my hair, you jerk!" Leroy whined, his hair now a mess from Cormac's rough handling.

Devin and Rena, seeing the sudden turn of events, sprang into action. Devin hefted his axe menacingly, aiming it at Cormac, while Rena brandished her wand with a determined glare.

"Hey! Don't point that thing at my face," Leroy shouted angrily, directing his frustration toward Rena.

"Drop your weapons and don't come any closer," Cormac warned, his spear pressed firmly against Leroy. "Unless you never want to see him again."

"Sure, I dare you. I even need a better archer anyway; this one's too annoying," Lay replied defiantly, her daggers still at the ready.

"You know we saved you, right?" Devin asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"For that, I give my thanks, but I'm in a situation where I need to limit who to trust," Cormac said with utmost sincerity, his gaze never wavering.

"Oh? He's a gentleman. On closer look, he's kind of cute," Rena commented with a hint of amusement.

"You've really got trust issues, mister. Just let me go already," Leroy complained, clearly uncomfortable.

"Better do what he says, you guys. I can feel his spear poking my soul right now," Leroy begged the others, his voice tinged with desperation.

Lay interjected, "We found you collapsed on the path we had taken back from our mission. At first, we thought you was dead, but I could sense a faint pulse. That's why I asked Rena to patch you up."

Cormac's suspicions remained. 'They could be con artists for all I know.' He tightened his grip on the spear, his eyes narrowing as he interrogated them. "Who are you guys? How did I get here?"

"Let him go so we can talk," Devin suggested, taking a cautious step back.

"Hmph…" Rena also began to withdraw, sensing the tension.

"Hmph…" Rena also took a step back, her eyes narrowing as she observed the situation.

"Thank you..." Leroy said, directing his gratitude towards Lay and Rena.

Lay remained steadfast, her posture rigid. "What are you guys doing? He's clearly dangerous."

"Well, I always knew you didn't like me, but this one takes the cake, you…" Leroy began, searching for the right insult.

"Just shut up, Leroy. You were the one who got careless," Lay shot back, clearly annoyed.

As their argument continued, the door creaked open. Nerissa entered, carrying a bag full of ingredients. "I hope you guys are hungry, because breakfast is on me... guys?" She halted in surprise as she noticed Cormac. "Cormac?"

*****

Nerissa quickly took charge. "Alright, everyone, this is Cormac. Cormac, this is everyone."

"You could at least say we're party members!" Leroy interjected.

'Nerissa really hasn't changed,' Cormac thought with a faint smile.

Nerissa began the introductions. "This is Lay," she gestured to the stern woman, "Devin," she pointed to the imposing figure with the axe, "Rena," she nodded toward the young mage, "and Leroy," she added with a slight smirk at the disheveled archer.

"So how do you know this guy anyway?" Lay asked, her gaze never leaving Cormac.

Nerissa responded, "He he's my father's retainer. If he's here, it must be because he has an important mission to attend to."

Lay filled in the gaps for Nerissa. "We found him collapsed after an ambush. He was being chased by a group called the Crimson Hound and was attacked by Rashmire."

"Rashmire?" Nerissa asked just be sure she heard her right.

Cormac took over. "I was indeed ambushed by Rashmire. He stole an artifact from me, and I managed to escape. The Crimson Hound must have been involved."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically. Devin's anger was palpable as he punched the wall, causing a noticeable dent. "So those bastards really are in the capital."

"You know them?" Cormac asked, surprised. Even Nerissa stopped talking? What happened to them?'

"You could say we still have a bone to pick with that organization," Lay said, her fists clenched tightly.

Nerissa finally spoke up. "I was on my way to the guild to hand over a strange artifact that was in their possession when I got ambushed. You better not send that thing to the guild, Cormac."

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